Conveyer



F. T. COPE May 8, 1934.

CONVEYER Filed Dec. 15, 1932 Patented May 8, 1934 UNETEE STA'E'ES PATENT GFFICE CONVEYER poration of Ohio Application December 15, 1932, Serial No. 647,329

9 Claims.

This invention relates to conveyers and is. particularly concerned with metal belt conveyers of the so-called fabric belt type. These belts are used in various places but find particular appli cation in furnaces of various sorts. The belts are usually constructed of interwound spiral wires much on the order of the well known cyclone fence. Transverse reinforcing wires are also sometimes used to strengthen the belt. Such flexible belting is also known as spiral fabric. I use the term herein as applying to the general type of structure herein discussed whether or not transverse reinforcing wires are employed there- 5 One great difliculty of these belts is that it is difiicult to secure a sultable upstanding side flange. In the handling of certain articles a high flange on the belt is essential. For exam ple, in the heat treatment of rifle cartridges the may be spread on the belt of an annealing furnace with a shovel, and unless reasonably high side flanges are provided a great deal of diiiiculty will be encountered through the cartridges falling over the edges and fouling the belt in its travel or resulting in loss of a large number of the cartridges within the furnace.

Due to the fact that the belts usually have to operate at high temperature, a number of the structures which have been proposed are entirely 3O unsatisfactory. Some of them do not have the desired strength or durability under the severe conditions of service or do not provide suiiicient side restraint. It has been heretofore proposed to turn up the edges of the fabric belt so as to form a flange, but unfortunately this construction imposes a marked limitation on the field of usefulness of the belt. With a turned-up flange of this sort it is generally agreed that the flange height can only be three to five percent 0 of the minimum pulley diameter. Accordingly, if the pulleys employed are of the sizes generally regarded as satisfactory, the flange height is so low that it is entirely unsuitable for the handling of most articles. Conversely, if the flange is 5 made sufficiently high to be generally adaptable, the pulley diameter becomes so large that it is difficult or impossible to work it into the design of the furnace.

I overcome these difficulties by turning up the sides of the fabric belt, thus forming a relatively shallow flange and using the up-turned sides to secure flange members which may be in the form of overlapping metal plates. These plates form the actual effective sides for retaining articles on the belt, and preferably the fabric belt is turned up only an amount sufficient to permit of attaching such plates. The plates are free to move relative to one another as the belt is flexed around a pulley and their use permits within reason any desired flange height without particular regard to the pulley diameter.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating the present preferred embodiment of the invention,

Figure l is a side elevation of a conveyer;

Figure 2 is a transverse section therethrough; and

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a modified form of side plate.

Ihe conveyer illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a belt of spiral fabric, indicated gen erally by the reference character 2, having a body portion 3 and upturned side flanges 1-. The belt is made of interwound spiral wires 5 and straight reinforcing wires 6 lying between spirals. The belt per se is well known. The height of the turned-up side portions 4 is subject to thelimitation above expressed and, as stated, such height is frequently insufficient for industrial purposes. I obtain the additional height desired by the use of metal side plates 2 which lie inside the upturned edges of the belt and are secured to such upturned portions, each by a single rivet 8. Each rivet extends through the upturned flange of the belt and is provided with a large washer 9 extending over a plurality of the spirally wound links constituting the belt. The bottom edge 10 of each plate 7 lies sufiiciently close to the body portion of the belt to keep the plate from rock ing endwise in any material amount. However, when the belt is flexed around the pulley as shown in Figure l, the riveted connection stays substantially unmoved but the neighboring portions of the belt fleX away from the lower edge of each plate.

The plates are overlapped as shown in Figure l and in the preferred form of the invention there is a slidable connection between adjacent plates near the tops thereof. This is effected by forming a metal tongue 11 on each plate, which tongue is bent over to provide a space 12 accommodating the adjacent plate '7. If the flange is very high or the pulleys over which the belt passes are very small, the plates may have a projecting end portion in the form of a sector of a circle as indicated in Figure 3, or of any other shape which will maintain connection with the guide space 12 of the adjacent plate despite extreme relative movement of the two plates.

As best shown in Figure 3, the rivet 8 of each of the plates '7 passes through the plate at a point about mid-way of the length. The rivet hole in the plate is indicated at 8a in Figure 3. It is desirable to make this connection about midway of the length for the reason that the plate is thus prevented from rocking unduly about the pivot either forwardly or backwardly and tends to assume a nearly radial position when the belt is flexed around a pulley.

My improved conveyer belt is inexpensive to manufacture and assures a highly satisfactory construction. A very high, strong and uninterrupted side flange is provided without imposing any inconvenient limitations on the designer as to pulley diameter. The fabric belt is not subjected to any severe strains by reason of the use of the plates, and the structure operates satisfactorily under the most severe conditions.

While I have illustrated and described the preent preferred embodiment of the invention it is to be understood that the invention is not so limited but may be otherwise embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A conveyer comprising a belt of spiral fabric having upturned sides, and plates secured to the upturned sides and extending thereabove.

2. A conveyer comprising a belt of spiral fabric having upturned sides, and overlapped plates secured to the upturned sides and extending thereabove.

3. A conveyer comprising a belt of spiral fabric having upturned sides, and a series of plates secured to the upturned sides and extending thereabove, the upper portions of adjacent plates being slidably connected.

4. A conveyer comprising a belt of spiral fabric having upturned sides, and a series of overlapped plates secured to the upturned sides and extending thereabove, the overlapped portions of the plates being slidably connected.

5. A conveyer comprising a belt of spiral fabric having upturned sides, a series of overlapped plates secured to the upturned sides and extending thereabove, the plates having tongues bent over to embrace an overlapping portion of an adjacent plate.

6. A conveyer comprising a belt of spiral fabric having upturned sides and plates connected to the upturned sides and extending thereabove, the connection being at a point about midway of the length of the plates.

'7. A conveyer comprising a belt of spiral fabric having upturned sides and plates secured to the upturned sides and extending thereabove, the plates making a pin connection with such upturned sides of a character to hold the plates in substantially unmoving relation with that portion of the spiral fabric to which they are severally attached but permitting the neighboring portions of the belt to flex away from the lower edge of such plates.

8. A conveyer comprising a belt of spiral fabric having upturned sides and plates secured to the upturned sides and extending thereabove, pins connecting the plates with such upturned sides and holding the plates in substantially un- 100 moving relation with that portion of the spiral fabric to which they are severally attached but permitting the neighboring portions of the belt to flex away from the lower edge of such plates, the connecting pins having enlarged heads over- 105 lying a plurality of the links forming the spiral fabric.

9. A conveyer comprising a belt of spiral fabric having upturned sides, the belt proper being flexible and the upturned sides permitting a lim- 110 ited degree of flexibility, and plates secured only to the upturned sides and extending thereabove, the plates constituting a flexible extension of the upturned sides.

FRANK T. COPE. 

